French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, left, welcomes US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross prior to their meeting at French Economy Ministry in Paris, France, Thursday, May 31, 2018. U.S. tariffs on European steel and aluminum imports are expected after Trump administration's failure to win concessions from EU. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)

The Latest: Trump says days of unfair trade deals 'are over'

June 01, 2018 - 2:41 am

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on trade tensions involving the United States, the European Union, Mexico and Canada (all times local):

9:15 p.m.

President Donald Trump says the days of the U.S. being taken advantage of in trade deals "are over" in a harshly worded statement responding to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's criticism of new steel and aluminum tariffs.

Trump is levying tariffs on the metals, starting Friday, on imports from Canada, Mexico and the European Union. His administration is also renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Trump says of NAFTA, "Earlier today, this message was conveyed to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada: The United State (sic) will agree to a fair deal, or there will be no deal at all."

Trudeau is calling the tariffs "totally unacceptable," suggested they would alter the relationship between the two countries, and has announced plans to levy tariffs on $12.8 billion in U.S. exports.

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6:30 p.m.

House Speaker Paul Ryan says he disagrees with the Trump administration's decision to impose tariffs on aluminum and steel imports from Canada, Mexico, and the European Union.

Ryan was among several leading Republicans in Congress critical of Thursday's action.

Ryan says that the administration's decision "targets America's allies when we should be working with them to address the unfair trading practices of countries like China."

Ryan says there are better ways than tariffs to help American workers and consumers. He does not specify those measures, but says he plans to work with Trump on "those better options."

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5 p.m.

French President Emmanuel Macron is calling the U.S. decision to levy tariffs on the European Union "illegal" and a "mistake."

Macron said that he deplores the U.S. action and that he plans to speak with U.S. President Donald Trump later Thursday telling him just that.

The French president said the tariff move does not in line with international trade law that the United States, France and Europe have subscribed to. He stressed that there would be a European response.

Macron, who was the first foreign leader invited by Trump to a state visit, said the U.S. president's decision is a mistake because it creates economic and commercial nationalism.

He ominously recalled the pre-World War II period saying, "Economic nationalism leads to war. This is exactly what happened in the 1930s."

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1:15 p.m.

The European Union says it plans to bring its case against new U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum to the World Trade Organization on Friday.

If that happens, the 28-nation EU would join China and India in triggering the WTO's dispute settlement mechanism over the American trade penalties.

Turning to the WTO would give the EU a second response to the tariffs. It's already prepared $1.6 billion in retaliation against U.S. goods including steel, orange juice, motorcycles and bourbon whiskey.

WTO proceedings could open the door to further penalties and increase pressure on Washington, though the process traditionally takes many months — and in some cases, years.

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1:10 p.m.

The head of the World Trade Organization is expressing "very real concern" about rising trade tensions and the risk of escalation.

The comments from Director-General Roberto Azevedo come in the wake of U.S. trade penalties on imported steel and aluminum.

But he says the global trading system "was built to resolve these problems in a way that prevents further escalation."

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12:25 p.m.

Investors are responding to the White House's tariffs on steel and aluminum imports by selling U.S. companies that rely on the metals and bidding up domestic producers.

Century Aluminum is up 3.6 percent and U.S. Steel 2.3 percent.

Deere & Co., which makes farming equipment, is down 2.6 percent, and construction equipment maker Caterpillar is off 1.5 percent as investors anticipate that manufacturing costs could rise.

Other losers among U.S. companies are consumer products makers, which could be hurt by tariffs that might be imposed by the European Union on products including peanut butter and orange juice.

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12:23 p.m.

The conservative network backed by the wealthy brothers Charles and David Koch is coming out in opposition to President Donald Trump's decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from U.S. allies.

Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce and Americans for Prosperity say the tariffs are tax increases on all Americans and are warning that the penalties will undermine the nation's economy and low unemployment rates.

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12:20 p.m.

Ontario's premier is calling President Donald Trump a "bully" and says the new U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum are "ridiculous and unwarranted."

Kathleen Wynne says Canada has to send a signal to Trump that Canada "will not be your doormat."

She says the only way to stand up to a bully is to stand up and push back. She's urging Canada take a swift and sharp retaliatory response.

Wynne says Trump's actions will hurt jobs in the United States and Canada.

The premier has a week left in her election campaign.

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12:10 p.m.

The German government has rejected the tariffs on steel and aluminum announced by the Trump administration as "unlawful."

A spokesman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel refers in a statement to "the danger of spirals of escalations" that could hurt everyone.

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11:55 a.m.

Germany's foreign minister is condemning the U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum, and he says the European Union "is ready to react accordingly with counter measure."

Heiko Maas has the support of German business associations that are rejecting the new trade penalties from the Trump administration.

The German Association of the Automotive Industry VDA calls the U.S. decision "incomprehensible."

An a mechanical engineering industry group says Washington's action is "a fatal signal for trans-Atlantic trade."

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11:15 a.m.

The European Union stands ready to retaliate immediately following new U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker says "it's totally unacceptable that a country is imposing unilateral measures when it comes to world trade."

He says to expect "counterbalancing measures" from Europe soon.

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11:10 a.m.

What does Germany's BGA association of foreign and wholesale traders think of the new U.S. tariffs on European Union steel and aluminum?

"A black hour for the trans-Atlantic relations."

The group says in a statement that "we deeply regret this unreasonable attitude by President Trump and its consequences."

It's calling on the EU to respond in accordance with the law in order "to not further weaken global trade."

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10:50 a.m.

U.S. businesses in Europe are dismayed by President Donald Trump's decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from the European Union.

They're worried it could spark a trade war.

Susan Danger is CEO of the American Chamber of Commerce to the EU. She says U.S. companies in Europe are opposed to Washington's trade move.

She says American businesses in Europe "are very concerned by the damage a tit-for-tat dispute would cause to the trans-Atlantic economy and its impact on jobs, investment and security across the Atlantic."

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10:45 a.m.

France says it's working with Germany and European authorities for a "firm and united response" to new U.S. tariffs on European steel and aluminum.

An adviser to French President Emmanuel Macron tells The Associated Press that France is "extremely mobilized" for a response. But the adviser isn't elaborating.

Macron argued against the tariffs when he met with Trump in Washington last month. Macron gave an impassioned speech on Wednesday against trade penalties and said they hurt jobs and consumers

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10:40 a.m.

The European Union's top trade official says it is "a bad day for world trade" after the U.S. went ahead with tariffs on imports of EU steel and aluminum.

She says that during talks with Washington, "the U.S. has sought to use the threat of trade restrictions as leverage to obtain concessions from the EU."

And here's how Malmstrom puts it: "This is not the way we do business, and certainly not between long-standing partners, friends and allies."

She says the EU will now impose "rebalancing measures" on U.S. products.

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10:35 a.m.

Britain says it's "deeply disappointed" by the U.S. decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum from Canada, Mexico and the European Union.

The government says "the U.K. and other European Union countries are close allies of the U.S. and should be permanently and fully exempted" from the tariffs.

In a statement, the British government says it has "made clear to the U.S. government at the highest levels the importance of U.K. steel and aluminum to its businesses and defense projects." It says it will work with the EU and U.S. administration to achieve a permanent exemption.

Britain voted in 2016 to leave the EU but remains a member until the official exit day of March 29, 2019.

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10:30 a.m.

Mexico says it will answer tariffs on steel and aluminum announced by the Trump administration with duties of its own on a variety of U.S. products.

Mexico says it will impose tariffs on U.S. imports including pork bellies, apples, grapes, cheeses and flat steel among other things.

A statement from Mexico's economy ministry says the U.S. use of a national security justification is improper and that the tariffs affect strategic sectors for North America, including automotive, aerospace and electronics.

Trump announced the tariffs in March, but gave exemptions to the European Union, Mexico and Canada.

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10:25 a.m.

"This is protectionism, pure and simple."

That's the reaction from the European Commission's president to the U.S. decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from the European Union.

Jean-Claude Juncker says the EU will respond with countermeasures.

He says the U.S. action leaves the EU with no choice but to proceed with a case in the World Trade Organization. He says the EU will impose additional duties on a number of imports from the U.S.

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9:45 a.m.

The Trump administration is announcing tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from the European Union, Canada and Mexico. The move is sure to raise worries of a trade war with American allies.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross says there will be a 25 percent tariff on imported steel and a 10 percent tariff on imported aluminum.

President Donald Trump announced the tariffs in March but the U.S. granted exemptions to the E.U., Canada, Mexico and other U.S. allies.

Ross says talks with Canada and Mexico over the North American Free Trade Agreement are "taking longer than we had hoped." He says negotiations with Europe have "made some progress" but not enough to merit an exemption.

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8:40 a.m.

The foreign ministers of Germany and China are stressing the importance of global free trade — a plea that comes before the United States is expected to impose tariffs on imported steel and aluminum.

And China's Wang Yi says China will continue to open its markets for its trade partners.

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8:35 a.m.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says the European Union "will respond in an intelligent, decisive and joint way" if the United States imposes tariffs on imported European steel and aluminum.

Merkel says the 28-nation bloc has made plain to Washington its view that the planned tariffs are incompatible with World Trade Organization rules.

She's not giving details of how the EU might respond.

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4:40 a.m.

France's finance minister says the U.S. shouldn't see global trade like the Wild West or the "gunfight at the OK Corral."

Bruno Le Maire calls looming U.S. tariffs on European steel and aluminum "unjustified, unjustifiable and dangerous."

Ahead of a meeting Thursday in Paris with U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Le Maire says: "Global trade is not a 'gunfight at the OK Corral.' It's not about who attacks whom, and then wait and see who is still standing at the end."